In a TikTok posted on Nov. 14, 2025, @verybritishproblems acted out a satirical scenario in which he pretended to work while waiting for an opportunity to leave with his colleagues. The video drew about 1.9 million views and 228,700 likes at the time of publication.
The creator leaned over the back of his chair to reach his keyboard and mouse. Rather than sitting down, he stayed behind the chair and acted as though he was still working.
When his imaginary colleagues prepared to leave, he waved goodbye and left with them. He said, “Okay. Have a good weekend, everyone. Cheers. See you later.” The skit reflects the anxiety of finding the right moment to say goodbye before heading home.
The TikToker called the situation the “Office Goodbye,” describing the character as someone waiting until nobody else was talking and feeling confident enough to address everyone. “A classic of the ‘anxious office worker’ repertoire,” he wrote in the caption.
One viewer advised anxious workers not to worry about leaving without saying goodbye. “The thing to know if you’re an anxious person is no one cares,” the commenter argued. “They really don’t. They have their own problems.” The viewer encouraged leaving without a farewell. “No one is going to think less of you if you do something odd like leave without saying goodbye.”
Another viewer said even walking home with coworkers could be awkward.
“Everyone I worked with wanted to walk together and it was so awkward,” a viewer recalled. They described colleagues gradually recognizing their discomfort. “[...] we’d rush walk to speed past each other, in full silence, to get first to our buses,” the commenter wrote.
One reply described finishing preparations before the working day officially ended. “By 16.59 I've normally turned off my PC,” a commenter joked. They described clearing accumulated packets from their desk drawers before leaving. “[...] sneakily changed into my trainers and got my coat on ready to go,” the viewer added.
Another viewer described waiting for the right moment to slip out. “I usually wait for the moment people have gotten up from their desks to briefly do something,” the commenter wrote. Their departure also depended on colleagues taking bathroom breaks. “[...] gone to the toilet etc [sic] and then slip out without saying anything,” they added.
The Daily Dot could not independently verify the commenters' workplace experiences. The details above reflect @verybritishproblems' skit and caption, as well as viewers' comments on TikTok.
